Death Post-CABG Higher in Diabetics

Published Online: Tuesday, February 1, 2005

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Death shortly after coronary artery
bypass graft surgery is more prevalent in
individuals with type 2 diabetes, even
when a number of risk factors are taken
into account. Reporting the findings in
Chest (December 2004), the researchers
followed >6700 patients who
underwent coronary artery bypass grafting.
One third of the participants had
type 2 diabetes.

A month after surgery, the mortality
rate was 3.9% among patients with diabetes,
compared with 2.6% for participants
without diabetes. Even with adjustments
for other risk factors calculated,
the diabetic group had a 67% higher
mortality risk.

The results of the study also revealed
that patients with diabetes had longer
hospital stays, experienced more kidney
and wound complications, and had more
episodes when their heart's pumping
strength dropped.